Third Round Table Conference

The third session began on November 17, 1932. It was short and unimportant.
The Congress was once again absent, so was the Labor opposition in the British
Parliament. Reports of the various committees were scrutinized. The conference
ended on December 25, 1932.

The recommendations of the Round Table Conferences were embodied in a White
Paper. It was published in March 1933, and debated in parliament directly
afterwards, analyzed by the Joint Select Committee and after the final reading
and loyal assent, the bill reached the Statute Book on July 24, 1935.

Poona pact

During the first Round Table Conference, when Ambedkar favoured the move of
the British Government to provide separate electorate for the oppressed classes,
Gandhi strongly opposed it on the plea that the move would disintegrate the
Hindu society. He went for an indefinite hunger strike from September 20, 1932
against the decision of the then British Prime Minister J.Ramsay MacDonald
granting communal award to the depressed classes in the constitution for
governance of British India.

In view of the mass upsurge generated in the country to save the life of
Gandhi, Ambedkar was compelled to soften his stand. A compromise between the
leaders of caste Hindu and the depressed classes was reached on September
24,1932, popularly known as Poona Pact. The resolution announced in a public
meeting on September 25 in Bombay confirmed -" henceforth, amongst Hindus no one
shall be regarded as an untouchable by reason of his birth and they will have
the same rights in all the social institutions as the other Hindus have". This
landmark resolution in the history of the Dalit movement in India subsequently
formed the basis for giving due share to Dalits in the political empowerment of
Indian people in a democratic Indian polity.

The following is the text of the agreement arrived at between leaders acting
on behalf of the Depressed Classes and of the rest of the community, regarding
the representation of the Depressed Classes in the legislatures and certain
other matters affecting their welfare

There shall be seats reserved for the Depressed Classes out of general
electorate seats in the provincial legislatures as follows: - Madras 30;
Bombay with Sind 25; Punjab 8; Bihar and Orissa 18; Central Provinces 20;
Assam 7; Bengal 30; United Provinces 20. Total 148. These figures are based on
the Prime Minister's (British) decision.

Election to these seats shall be by joint electorates subject, however, to
the following procedure – All members of the Depressed Classes registered in
the general electoral roll of a constituency will form an electoral college
which will elect a panel of tour candidates belonging to the Depressed Classes
for each of such reserved seats by the method of the single vote and four
persons getting the highest number of votes in such primary elections shall be
the candidates for election by the general electorate.

The representation of the Depressed Classes in the Central Legislature
shall likewise be on the principle of joint electorates and reserved seats by
the method of primary election in the manner provided for in clause above for
their representation in the provincial legislatures.